If you’ve ever walked through Balboa Park on a bright San Diego afternoon, you’ve probably felt it.
That quiet pull toward the San Diego Museum of Art.
The stone façade. The archways. The way the building catches the light like it’s been there forever.
For nearly a century, it has.
Since 1926, the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) has stood as one of the city’s cultural anchors, collecting, preserving, and celebrating art from around the world while quietly shaping the identity of the artists right here at home.
Generations of San Diego artists, muralists, painters, and creatives have passed through those doors. Some as students. Some as visitors. Some as exhibitors.
Now, as the Museum marks its 100th anniversary, it’s doing something special.
Instead of only looking back at history, it’s investing in the artists shaping what San Diego art looks like today.
Every city has landmarks.
But only a few places actually influence a creative community.
For many local artists, SDMA has been exactly that.
A place to study brushwork up close.
A place to see global masters without leaving San Diego.
A place that quietly raises the bar for what art in this city can be.
Over the decades, San Diego has grown from a laid-back beach town into a serious creative hub. Today, the city supports a thriving ecosystem of:
working artists
custom mural painters
public art specialists
gallery owners
design-forward restaurants and hotels
collectors commissioning original work
Art isn’t just hanging in museums anymore.
It’s on neighborhood walls.
Inside cafés and retail spaces.
Across office buildings.
Integrated into architecture and community spaces.
San Diego has become a place where local art lives out in the open, not just inside frames.
And the Museum’s centennial celebration reflects that shift.
To mark its 100th anniversary, the San Diego Museum of Art launched Local Visions: Reimagining the Façade, an open call inviting artists from across the San Diego and Tijuana region to reinterpret the Museum’s iconic Spanish Colonial Revival exterior through a contemporary lens.
The response was substantial, with proposals reflecting the depth and diversity of the region’s creative community. From that broad pool of submissions, the Museum curated a final group of just ten artists whose works would help shape the Museum’s centennial identity in-gallery and across commemorative materials throughout the year.
Among those selected artists is San Diego mural and fine artist Stefanie Bales, whose work was chosen as part of this competitive, region-wide process.
For years, cities like Los Angeles or New York have dominated the art conversation.
But something different has been happening in San Diego.
A quieter movement.
More independent.
More community-driven.
Less trend-chasing.
Here, artists often work directly with businesses and residents. They don’t wait for galleries to dictate opportunity.
They paint murals on restaurant walls.
They design custom installations for hotels.
They take on private art commissions for collectors.
They transform everyday spaces into something memorable.
That hands-on relationship between artist and community has created a unique demand for:
custom murals in San Diego
commissioned artwork
site-specific installations
original paintings
local artists for commercial spaces
People don’t just want art shipped in.
They want art that feels like San Diego.
That understands the light, the architecture, the colors, the culture.
That’s where artists like Stefanie Bales come in.
As a San Diego artist and muralist, Stefanie’s work has always been rooted in environment and story.
Her pieces aren’t just decorative. They respond to the space around them.
A wall becomes a narrative.
A blank surface becomes texture and movement.
A room feels more alive simply because something original exists there.
Over the years, she has created:
The common thread isn’t style alone.
It’s connection.
Her work tends to feel like it belongs exactly where it is.
Which makes her selection as 1 of 10 artists for the SDMA Centennial Artist Project feel less like a spotlight moment and more like a natural extension of what she already does: creating art that reflects this city.
Her commissioned centennial piece is now on view at the Museum, joining the broader visual story of San Diego’s creative present.
Not louder.
Not self-congratulatory.
Just part of the fabric.
As San Diego grows, more businesses and homeowners are realizing something important:
Generic décor fades into the background.
Original art changes how a space feels.
There’s a reason restaurants, offices, and retail shops increasingly choose to commission a San Diego artist rather than buy mass-produced prints.
Local art brings:
Whether it’s a custom mural, an original painting, or a large installation, working with a local artist creates something designed specifically for that environment.
It’s not decoration.
It’s identity.
A centennial anniversary could easily become nostalgic.
But SDMA’s approach feels forward-looking.
Instead of simply celebrating the past, they’re investing in the artists who will shape what San Diego looks like tomorrow.
Because the truth is:
Museums preserve history.
Artists create it.
And right now, San Diego’s history is being painted, installed, and imagined by the people who live and work here every day.
If the last 100 years built the foundation, the next 100 will be built by artists willing to experiment, collaborate, and create work that belongs uniquely to this city.
That’s the spirit behind the Centennial Artist Project.
And it’s the spirit you see in San Diego’s streets, businesses, and galleries every day.
Art isn’t something happening somewhere else anymore.
It’s happening here.
Stefanie Bales Fine Art is located in the heart of Little Italy. The gallery features Stefanie's stunning "dreamscape" paintings—surreal, beautiful works that blend various San Diego landscapes into a single, breathtaking composition.
Discover Stefanie's Contemporary Landscape Paintings
Plan Your Visit to the Gallery
Learn About Custom Commissions
Stefanie Bales is a San Diego mural and fine artist known for custom murals, original paintings, and commissioned artwork for businesses, hospitality spaces, and private collectors. Her work has been selected for exhibitions including the San Diego Museum of Art’s Centennial Artist Project.
The Centennial Artist Project, titled Local Visions: Reimagining the Façade, is a special exhibition celebrating 100 years of the San Diego Museum of Art. After a region-wide open call, ten artists were selected to create original interpretations of the Museum’s iconic façade. Their works are displayed in-gallery and featured throughout the Museum’s centennial year.
The Museum issued an open call to artists across the San Diego and Tijuana region. From a large pool of submissions, a curated group of ten artists was chosen based on artistic vision, originality, and connection to the community. Stefanie’s work was selected through this competitive process.
Yes. Stefanie creates custom murals and commissioned artwork for restaurants, retail spaces, offices, hotels, and private homes throughout San Diego. Each project is designed specifically for the space and the story you want to tell.
Thinking of commissioning a mural or custom art in San Diego? This guide walks you through the process, from finding the right artist to understanding costs and contracts.
A blank wall is a missed opportunity. Whether it’s the expansive side of a corporate building, a feature wall in a boutique hotel, or the dining room of your home, a blank wall is a canvas waiting to tell a story. Commissioning a custom mural or a piece of art is the most powerful way to transform a space, infusing it with personality, energy, and a unique narrative that no mass-produced print ever could.
With fourteen original Stefanie Bales Fine Art paintings thoughtfully placed throughout her San Diego home, Melissa has created more than a collection—she's built a visual narrative of her family's journey, a celebration of everyday beauty, and a legacy of creativity that she's now passing down to her son. Her approach to collecting is as thoughtful as her personal style: chic, elevated, and deeply meaningful.
